Memorex 32023288 DVD Double-Layer Recorder 16x16 Dual Format External Drive

I have had my DVD recorder for about a week now and I really love it. I haven't had any problems with it and unlike others who have given reviews, it isn't loud at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. As of now, I have burned over 24 disks with it and all but one has been great. (I believe I had a problem with the movie I was burning.) I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an external dvd burner for their computer. It is lower priced and very good quality!

The only thing I do have a complaint about is that it didn't come in it's original packaging from the seller who I bought it from. It was sent wrapped in newspaper and bubble-wrap (along with the cords, plugs, etc.) and put in the fedex box. I would have like it to have had been sent in it original box. This is more to do with the seller then the product itself, which works great.

I just got my Memorex DVD Burner and burnt my first DVD which took about 50-55 minutes. Not bad compared to what I have heard for some people.

1)The burner is sleek, stable, and nicely built.

2)It gives you step by step instructions on how to set it up, which is especially helpful if you are not computer savvy.

3)If you open the NeroSmart Start, it's a user-friendly interface that helps you fine exactly what you want to do.


HOWEVER there are a few things I dislike about the DVD burner, nothing major however.

1)The tray seemed a tad wobbly.

2)Some of the software is trial.

So far I think this is a grat investment and I am very happy with it. As an added bonus, I got free shipping from Amazon, and it arrived on the first day during the 'Estimated Time of Arrival'.

I am very disappointed with this item. I give it only 1 star because I have too!

Upon connecting the item and loading the software, my computer worked for one day and then completely crashed. Before the software was loaded, I had no problems. Memorex blamed me for loading the software, however everything required by the software met with my computers abilities. I returned this item and spent way too much money fixing my computer.

I am very disappointed with this item and with the customer service from Memorex. I would not recommend this product or this company to my worst enemy!

I would definitely give this product 5 starts but the level of noise it produce during work seems slightly excessive. Otherwise works as expected.

I recently purchased this item, after spending frustrating hours trying to make a simple Audio CD. I have been using computers for many years and I know pretty well when a product performs well. This is not exception. The bundled software is GREAT!
Go for it!
You'll like it, just like the other thousands of people who already own it.

The DVD Recorder works well and does what it is supposed to do. It has a quirk in that if you don't have the machine on before booting up, it will only appear as a CD recorder.

Great product. Love it to death! Great job Amazon! Again it arrived on time and your Cust. Serv. Reps do a good job too!

We tried for several days to get the nero software to operate with our dell laptop. We updated, filled out forms, read the reviews to get hints - nothing worked. It would play the sound ok, but the picture was a bunch of colored lines - ie, no picture. It was a hassle and I finally returned it. The problem was the included nero software, not the hardware - go figure.

Recorder setup instruction is not clear. To install Nero suite software the DVD recorder must be connected and powered on. Nero application won't recognize the recorder if it is not connected during the software installation.
Except for this minor problem the performance of the recorder is excellent.
I had to get a program to convert format of existing audio file in the hard disc because Nero suite does not have this function. It has this function only recording the files from CD to hard disc.

For reasons unknown, my aging PC ceased to get along with its internal DVD-ROM drive. I tried replacing the drive, but that didn't work, so I gave up on watching DVD's - until I spied this guy. I plugged it in, XP recognized the drive, and in thirty seconds I was watching a DVD for the first time in months (haven't installed the software, don't plan to). All l want is a DVD player, and it plays great; if I ever want to burn a DVD, I'm all set.

Playback is excellent with either connection - Firewire or USB. I use Firewire to keep my USB ports free; even with high-end audio, DVD playback is as good, or better, than the internal drive was when it was new.


Works just fine - but - comes up to speed when reading like a prop plane revving up. Not a problem, just kind of surprising at first.
Also - if you are adding this to a box that already has a dvd drive, you may have to turn this off to boot up normally. Easy swiching though.
Keeper!

Bought one for each of my main computers. An HP drive, when added-on with an existing dvd drive, almost destroyed my system and the outsourced support was abominable.

O.k I've had the External LG GSA-2166D drive for a while now. I use it to burn Audio and data CD's. Lately, I wanted to burn some home movies to DVD's. I've been using blank DVD-R's(Verbatim, HP, and Staples) to record home movies on my standalone Sony RDR-VX530 recorder(which is great for recording only on DVD-R or +R's(4.7GB); It seems to have issues reading/writing Dual Layer and Double Layer discs....Hmmm.) I just wanted a higher quality video output for my long-play home movies.

I went on my computer and downloaded a free DVD burning software for my LG burner since the Nero software it came with(Nero 7) does not support Windows Me. After installing this free software, I inserted a blank DVD-R into the LG drive but the software would not read the disc. It kept prompting me to insert a blank DVD disc. So I guessed the software was garbage. However, in Windows' "My Computer" folder, the LG drive read the media as 'Audio CD' with 1.99GB of USED space and 0 bytes free space. DVD-Rs are supposed to read as 4.7GB(or the equivalent in MB) capacity and no USED space. I thought the LG drive was the problem. So I went shopping for a new external drive that supported Windows Me and came across the Memeorex 32023288, which I purchased. I was very pleased with the design of the Memorex drive; It was strong and sturdy like my LG drive(probably stronger) - not cheap at all. It also comes with Nero 6 bundled software(Nero Recode 2, NeroVision Express 3, Nero Media Player, etc.). After installing it, I inserted a blank DVD-R disc and checked the "My Computer" folder and the disc was read the same way - Audio CD, 1.99GB of USED space. I thought the reading would be corrected once I installed Nero but it did not. So now I thought that Windows Me was the culprit. I uninstalled Nero.

I contacted HP(they provide Compaq computer assistance) and one out of 4 tech assistants said that Windows Me was NOT the problem; that it had a UDF reader already installed which reads DVD blank media, and that I needed to install the software that came with the external drive(Memorex) and attempt to burn a DVD. I also read somewhere that Nero does not work well with Easy CD Creator/Roxio so I uninstalled my Easy CD Creator before reinstalling the Nero 6. With Nero installed, I tried to copy a DVD-R that I created on my Sony recorder(for my personal use). This DVD-R had 18 video files which Nero read as having over 200MB each. I placed this disc in the Memorex drive and a blank DVD-R in the LG drive. I proceeded to copy the video files using Nero Recode 2. It got halfway through the 6th file and ejected the blank DVD-R followed by a "Burn Failed" error message. I took the incompleted, unfinalized disc and played it in the Sony recorder and it did play all of the 5 videos and ended in the middle of the 6th video(the point where it was ejected from the LG drive). So it worked but something went wrong along the way. The HP tech was on to something....

I then decided to put this project on hold and just try to burn an AVI file that I had transfered to my computer from my Archos DVR. I used NeroVision Express 3 with the Memorex drive. NeroVision read the DVD-R as having 4,490MB of capacity, which made sense, finally. I proceeded to burn and it was a success! So, this time, I tried to burn an AVI file with the LG burner - it worked again. And again with the Memorex! These AVI files are read in NeroVision as being over 4GB in size so I had to lower the video bitrate(this diminishes the quality of video). I will now be investing in DVD+R DL(8.5GB) discs. This way I won't have to reduce the output video quality of the file just to fit onto a 4.7GB blank DVD-/+R.

For Windows Me owners: Don't worry about the computer reading your blank dvd media as 'Audio' with only 1.99GB of USED space. Your file system may only allot you 1.99GB of space for storing certain files and may not allow burning more than this amount of data onto a 4.7GB disc*.(*This may happen when using Nero Recode 2 to copy a home movie DVD. This software burns a temporary image file of the home movie onto your hard drive. If the image file is over 1.99GB, the burn will not succeed. Solution: Use Nero "Quick Copy" which avoids burning that temp image file onto your system and copies the content directly from one drive to the other.) All in all, once you get a high quality DVD burning software, the blank DVD media will be read and utilized properly. I am so glad that I was able to resolve this issue and I am grateful that Nero 6 supports Windows Me.

*****Please be aware that Nero 6 uses a 30-day trial DVD-Video plug-in for its some of its encodind/writing softwares(Nero "Quick Copy" does not require this plug-in). On Nero's website the plug-in costs $25(which I don't mind purchasing once my time is up). Nero prompts for serial number registration to install their software. Also, Nero uses a good bit of computer memory so make sure you have enough RAM and/or try to keep the multi-tasking to a minimum.

Tech support for Memorex is very good. They were very polite, patient, understanding and willing to solve my problem(but bless their hearts, they could not).

Nero 6 is pretty impressive! There's even a photo software for storing and editing your digital pics(which I definitely needed). I have had no other problems with Nero 6 or this Memorex 32023288 drive ever since. It's a pretty fast burner as well, very efficient. This product was the only one I found to have a great average rating AND compatibility with Windows Me. It's a fine product, indeed!

This review was written for all of those with Windows Me struggling to resolve this very issue of reading/buring DVD blank media. Hope it helps somehow.

I was very pleased with this product,it lived up to almost all my expectations.Super easy to operate.

As far as I can tell at this point--I will use the recorder a lot in a few weeks--the Memorex DVD Double-Layer Recorder 16x16 Dual Format External Drive is working flowlessly. Thanks Memorex! Helmut S.


When it first arrived, I plugged it into my usb 2 port. Computer would not recognize it. After trying everything I and google newsgroups could think of, I took it to work -- none of my work computers would recognize it either. Sent it back, got another one. Plugged it in, the computer immediately recognized it. Cool ... i thought. I turned it off, and shut down the for the night. Next day, turned it on .... nothing!! Computer would not recognize it. Took it to work, and the computer reported "problem with usb device" Sent it back, got a refund, and I am going to get an internal (non-usb!!) drive.

I didn't do a whole lot of research on what was the cheapest or had the best reviews before buying this, but I can tell you it does the trick. Using this along with programs such as DVD Shrink and Nero allows me to copy basically any movie I'd like fairly quickly. Some DVD's have structures that can not be copied but most are easy enough.

We needed a new DVD burner because the internal one died. Ordered this external unit and it was up and running in minutes. We were asked to video and snap pictures for our grandaughters' play and produce DVDs and CDs for the partipants. This unit handled it like a pro. The video was 17 MB when downloaded to the pc. My husband added scanned pages of cast, credits and info about the play and about 20 photos to the file and after rendering (4.5 hours), we were able to burn the DVDs in 6 minutes each. I highly recommend this unit.

Drive works okay but makes a horrible noise in the vertical position. If this is important choose another drive. Packaged software is poor. Don't load Nero unless you have used and like it. InCd created some problems, and I rely on the Microsoft writing software which is cumbersome, but works.

The burner was easy to install, and is easy to use, and does the job the sales literature said it would. As usual though, the manual isn't worth much, but that's the case with most manuals.

Easy set-up, nice read speed. Haven't done much recording yet but no troubles so far. Very good price and fast delivery.

Looking at the picture of the product posted, I thought I was getting the 'complete' box, not so. No instructions, no software.

I got this from TheFactoryDepot and what a rip off. First they
over charged me, then they take 2 weeks to get it to me, then
everything I burn will not play in any of my DVD players. I
even got the Memorex DVDs from TheFactoryDepot and they arrived
with scratches. I don't know what's wrong. It seems like
everything I get from TheFactoryDepot is either defective or
a piece of junk.

I just bought this drive - it came bundled with Nero v6.6 which DOES NOT work with Windows Vista. I contacted Memorex support about this problem and they told me to get the latest update from Nero. Unfortunately, there are no updates to Nero 6 that make it compatible with Vista - you have to upgrade to Nero 7, which costs more than I paid for the drive. Memorex ignored my follow-up request for a free solution to the problem they caused. I will be returning this drive and getting a Sony that comes with Nero 7. Current products should come with software that works on current operating systems.

I purchased this product for my daughter as she needed a DVD recorder to burn her different video projects. She absolutely loves it. Easy to use, wonderful in that the drive takes different DVD formats. Portable from one computer to the next. A must have. Highly recommend.

I got this dvd burner 2 days ago. I have already burned 10 dvds with this. It is a good-looking burner. It can lay flat, or it has a stand for vertical placement. It was easy to connect to the computer and install the provided software.

It comes with Nero. This seems to be a really good program. Unfortunately, some of the features, like creating dvd movies, are only 30 day trials, and not included with the program. To get the dvd movie feature, it costs $25. I was unhappy when I realized that I didn't get the entire Nero program, especially since I wanted this dvd burner so I could create movies that would play on my dvd player hooked to my tv. But, the program is very easy to use and has thus far been reliable.

It takes about an hour to transcode the data into the correct format, then the actual time it takes to burn the disc is very quick.

I haven't used the double layer feature yet, but I am quite pleased with the speed and accuracy of this burner. The software it comes with is also excellent (Nero). I burn a lot of photographs to DVD, so it gets a good workout. I recommend it for everyone!

Couldn't be happier...

Currently hooked to USB2.0 port.. burns full DVD-r 8x in appx 8 minutes..
Can't wait to try in on a Firewire port with a 16x DVD :)

What can I say but, this burner performs great. I hooked it up in a matter of minutes to my Firewire port and copied my first DVD on the fly in 12 min. 48 seconds. The copy played flawlessly. The price, performance and ease of use make this a 5 star burner.
I think other bad reviews didn't need a dvd burner so much as a PC upgrade. You've gotta have a system that is up to the task. I run an Amd Athalon64 X2 4200+, 2.5Gb memory, ATI X800XL 256mb video, Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro, and 250Gb hard drive internal and 280Gb Western Digital external hard drive. My machine has 2 Firewire ports, 6 usb 2.0 ports and memory card reader.
My internal DVD burner with light scribe decided to not burn DVD's any longer but, could still play them and burn CD's so I decided to keep it and get a second external burner. I am so glad I made this choice!

Its not that bad of a burner but you need to use the firewire cable and not the usb 2 cable because i can only get 12x of the 16x with the usb 2. Also don't use the vertical stand, i had problems with it wanting to burn vertically but it would read just fine vertically, so i use it horizontally now. Those are the 2 reason why I gave this 4 stars and not 5 stars. But i plan on buying another one of these in the next couple days.

The hardware _seems_ okay: plays DVDs extremely well with my old version of PowerDVD, and burns CDs with pretty good speed (I've got a firewire connection.) But so far, I've been unable to burn a DVD in any of the packaged Nero applications, not as backup, not as a data disc. (Even the DVD player doesn't work, just keeps popping up a reminder to buy the plug-in.) When burn is attempted with a DVD, disc gives target error, program can't make End of File, or disc isn't recognized at all. I will reluctantly invest in different media (maybe it didn't like these DVD+R discs, though it's supposed to handle DVD+R) and if that's no help, uninstall the Nero and try other burners. If hardware pans out and Nero is the only problem, will come back and raise to three stars (or better, if really fast).

Used it to burn few DVDS and its working fine. Less noisey then expected...

good one.


I just got this burner today, and I just wanted to write a review about how pleasantly surprised I was with it. Reading some of the reviews I was beginning to regreat buying it, but I figured I would give it a shot. I bought this burner because I wanted a DVD burner along with a CD burner and my internal burner which only burns CDs is no longer working. The burn speed is a little bit slower than my internal burner (this one took about 8 minutes to burn a CD, whereas my internal burner would only take about 3-4 minutes) but the time it takes to burn is reasonable. I haven't tried to burn a DVD yet, so we'll see what happens. I only gave it 4 stars because I'm not sure of how it burns DVDs yet.

This product doesn't seem to work any better or worse than its competitors, but keep in mind that you'll only really get the maximum burn speeds if you're using an internal or Firewire drive. The USB connection limits the write speed, sometimes severely. If you're plugged directly into the motherboard, you might get 8x out of it, but if you're in a hub or something, you'll probably go down to 4x. If you're really in need of superfast burning, then I recommend that you clear a drive bay in your desktop and get an internal drive with a large buffer. I can get 16x in my desktop (IDE) but only 4x max on this USB unit.


Otherwise, the unit works just fine.

This is reasonably good CD/DVD drive so far, hookup is simple, my system recognized it right away, the device is compact and very quiet, not bad looking either. CD recording is slow, however, the recordings are good quality and worth the wait. DVD recording is impossible, unless you have some sort of decryption and then it's questionable, thanks to the Nero software which I just refuse to have anythig to do with anymore. I so far like the drive, my major complaint is the Nero software that came with it, I've had nothing but aggravation with it! Nero has an expiration based upon when you install it and then the DVD function becomes extinct unless, you subscribe. Nero can also interfere with other applications such as shrink and hard drive storage,whereas it refuses to store and refuses to play. If you have other programs like Media Player & I Tunes, Shrink or Power DVD you'll find you're using them to run this drive, Shame on Nero for looking sharp & being nothing. Don't let this deter you. This is a pretty nice drive for the price and if you have other applications it should work just fine. I admit I'm still a novice though I expected more from the total package.
I ordered this from Amazon & Tiger Direct, delivery was very prompt and well packaged.

Honestly, i would like some more time to evaluate the product. I had some difficulties with the software and have now accessed the correct software for the Recorder. I will be soon making use of both and should be able to do a bettter evaluation at the end of this month.

I've had the unit ofr around 3 months. It does write fairly quickly--i think the numbers are alittle exagerated. My biggest problem it the reading. when ripping audio and video it doesn't skip but there isn't any/enough ram so when playing audio or video directly from the unit it tends to skip...a lot. Don't bother expecting to playing anything unless you opened the disk in a clean room.

I have been using this for about two days now. I guess it is my stupidity, but I found Nero unnecessarily complex. I was not able to record a data disk (double layer) after numerous attempts. The language and the terminology is too Nero-esque. In the end I removed Nero from my computer and am using the Sonic software, which is far superior, faster, simpler, and user-friendlier. My advice is to buy Memorex but never bother with the installation of Nero. Good luck.

I am very pleased with the performance of this machine. I bought it to add dual layer dvd's and 16x burning to my aging Powermac G5 from Apple. It has worked perfectly for me and makes DVD's in about 3 minutes. A very nice touch. As a side note, I am a world traveler and I am planning on moving to London at the start of next year. I was afraid that it would not be able to go with me. But I contacted Memorex and it already is wired to work in the U.S. and Europe. That was a nice surprise. Buy this product, you will not be disappointed.

This product works very well and the software for it is very good too.

Might be a good product, but my PC ran into problems when I tried to install software. Everthing seemed fine, then when the PC restarted, the system kept crashing. Finally, I had to remove the software and return the product. I think I'm going to buy a new computer with a DVD burner already installed. By the time I upgrade my PC to accept this external burner and factor in the $120 for the burner itself, I could spend a little more and have a new PC. Lesson: check the system requirements!

This Memorex Double Layer DVD Burner is an amzing buy and makes burning all types of things extremely easy. As many people have pointed out, this drive is very slow if you use USB 1.1. If you have USB 1.1 the drive will still work, but very slowly. USB 2.0 is not much better if you ask me. My IE Firewire ports were taken up by scanners and printers so I ended up buying a Firewire Card (this is quite simple to install, you have to be retarded not to be able to figure this out). Firewire is the way Memorex intended this burner to be operated on. Before, USB took anywhere from 8-12 minutes to burn a CD and upwards of 40 minutes to burn slightly less than 10 minutes of DVD Video. After using the Firewire Card a CD takes less than 2(!) and never has buffer underrun errors (no more wasted discs). Where this drive really shines is with DVD. I took an illegaly copied copy of "Doom" (the movie, 112 minutes), recoded the video files into MPEG-4 (using the supplied Nero 6 software) and then burned the entire movie in 6.5 minutes!!!!! That's 4.4 GB of video (ultra high quality) in less than ten minutes!!! Amazing. The NeroRecode is great for making the MPEG-4 video files which can then be watched on the Video iPODS. Brilliant. Now for Nero. Yes, Nero 7 Ultra Edition is out, but the supplied Nero 6 burning suite is included with this burner, and does a very good job. It is very easy to use, and is customizable and does every type of project imaginable (Data, Audio, Data+Audio, Video, Video CD, Picture, plus ones I don't remember and will never use!) and recognizes every disc type. The included editing software is very in depth and you can do a whole crapload of video, text and audio effects with video files from your miniDV or DVD Camcorder. Also included is Nero Photoshow Elite, which really isn't "Elite," but it does a decent job of storing, organizing and editing photos. You can even remove red-eye and other such things. If you havbe the correct specifications and use Firewire, you will realize that Memorex has gone way over-the-top with this wonderful external DVD burner. Definitely worth the money and will prevent your computer from becoming obsolete.
The Bottom Line: Don't Use USB and don't use the world's first computer or yes, this probably won't work out for you.

On its own, this is a reasonably-priced external DVD burner with a quality name brand. I didn't find the case flimsy, and the stand makes the drive very unobtrusive. The buttons are logically placed, and the blue light was bright enough to see across the room. The drive was visible to my laptop as soon as I attached it. The DVD I made last night burned fairly quickly (and quietly), and bingo, I soon had my very first home-movie-on-DVD, complete with chapter titles and cueing and so forth. I didn't try transferring with USB--a Firewire card was only $25, a cheap way to ensure better image quality--but Memorex thoughtfully includes cables for both.

The included software, Nero 6, makes this drive an even better deal. This burn/edit package has a lot of features for an OEM version, more than I'll need for a long time, and should you want to step up to Nero 7, nero.com offers a good discount. The only negative with the software was having to go into the Windows registry to get the serial number to qualify for the version updates--the manual walks you through this, and since I once had a job that required registry edits, this wasn't difficult, but I question how wise it is for Nero to make an average user dig into the Windows registry!

You can get much better deals on internal burners, but if you need an external burner, particularly if you don't already have a software package for editing and burning DVDs, it would be hard to find a better deal than this drive.

Aside: after staring at my Seagate hard drive and the Memorex burner side by side all last night, I was thinking I'd like to see some enterprising company bundle a large hard drive right on a DVD burner. But with that spare USB cable, it's easy enough to get the two together for a movie-making session..!

This dvd drive is not compatible with USB1.1. I bought this in Officedepot for a good deal. The drive looked really nice with black/silver colorings. The stand is sturdy and can keep your drive vertically without any risk of falling.

But after I bought this, I plugged it into my computer. I was really shocked with the performance as it read some dvd movies horribly which were properly read by my other dvd-rom drive (internal). I tested it by writing 1 GB of data into a DVD-R disc. It claims a complete DVD-R write(4.5 GB) would take only 6 minutes. But I had to wait for around 1/2 hr for the 1 GB to get written into the disc. It was damn slow. It's 1x not 16x. Then I started reading the manual and found it will work at 1x or sometimes won't work with USB1.1. Luckily, I returned it and got my money back.

I dont know whether it is good for USB2.0, but I am sure it is not for people having only USB1.1; I am going now for an internal dvd-rw drive.



I have only had this drive for a couple days, but I can say that I am pleased with it overall. I am using it with a laptop on a comapct desk, so the fact that it stands vertically (w/included stand) helps with space consevation. The Dual-Layer DVDs that it can create are wonderfull for storing lots of home videos, pictures, and in most cases 2 full movies. The included Nero software is very user friendly, so you'll be making relatively professional looking DVD home movies (complete with custom menus and options) in no time.

I only have 2 things to complain about on this package (one on the unit and one on the software), and they are just nit-picky little things.

1. UNIT - While the unit itself is fairly attractive (silver & black case w/blue LEDs), it is rather flimsy. This is not really an issue as long as you are careful moving it while it is running. Without thinking, I grabbed the body by the sides while in its vertical position. This caused the top of the case to bow in and hit the drive spindle, resulting in an awful grinding noise. While this incident had no affect on the unit or its current process this time, I could see how it may in future careless occurances. Not a big deal. Just don't be clumsy like me.

2. SOFTWARE - Again, not a big problem, just an annoyance. I am running this program on what the box calls the preferred sytem specs for best performance. While creating a 2 hour (4.07 GB) DVD movie with basic menus only takes a few minutes, the processing time before it writes takes a long time. After you hit the "Burn" button, the total process progress line says that the time remaining on the project is a little over 4 hours. The actual time it takes to write on the disc is a little more than an hour (this is a pretty fast drive). The other 3 hours seems to be taken up by conversion, encoding, processing, etc. My guess is that this would take a lot less time on a faster system. Read the "System Requirements" for the software on the box. I suggest having at least the "Reccomended" specs to have a pleasent experience. If you only have the minimum system requirements, I would be prepared to settle in for the long haul for each project.

Also, I bought this in store at Staples for a hundred and thirty-nine bucks. Much cheaper than anywhere else I saw it.

I have had my DVD recorder for about a week now and I really love it. I haven't had any problems with it and unlike others who have given reviews, it isn't loud at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. As of now, I have burned over 24 disks with it and all but one has been great. (I believe I had a problem with the movie I was burning.) I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an external dvd burner for their computer. It is lower priced and very good quality!

The only thing I do have a complaint about is that it didn't come in it's original packaging from the seller who I bought it from. It was sent wrapped in newspaper and bubble-wrap (along with the cords, plugs, etc.) and put in the fedex box. I would have like it to have had been sent in it original box. This is more to do with the seller then the product itself, which works great.

I just got my Memorex DVD Burner and burnt my first DVD which took about 50-55 minutes. Not bad compared to what I have heard for some people.

1)The burner is sleek, stable, and nicely built.

2)It gives you step by step instructions on how to set it up, which is especially helpful if you are not computer savvy.

3)If you open the NeroSmart Start, it's a user-friendly interface that helps you fine exactly what you want to do.


HOWEVER there are a few things I dislike about the DVD burner, nothing major however.

1)The tray seemed a tad wobbly.

2)Some of the software is trial.

So far I think this is a grat investment and I am very happy with it. As an added bonus, I got free shipping from Amazon, and it arrived on the first day during the 'Estimated Time of Arrival'.

I am very disappointed with this item. I give it only 1 star because I have too!

Upon connecting the item and loading the software, my computer worked for one day and then completely crashed. Before the software was loaded, I had no problems. Memorex blamed me for loading the software, however everything required by the software met with my computers abilities. I returned this item and spent way too much money fixing my computer.

I am very disappointed with this item and with the customer service from Memorex. I would not recommend this product or this company to my worst enemy!

I would definitely give this product 5 starts but the level of noise it produce during work seems slightly excessive. Otherwise works as expected.

I recently purchased this item, after spending frustrating hours trying to make a simple Audio CD. I have been using computers for many years and I know pretty well when a product performs well. This is not exception. The bundled software is GREAT!
Go for it!
You'll like it, just like the other thousands of people who already own it.

The DVD Recorder works well and does what it is supposed to do. It has a quirk in that if you don't have the machine on before booting up, it will only appear as a CD recorder.

Great product. Love it to death! Great job Amazon! Again it arrived on time and your Cust. Serv. Reps do a good job too!

We tried for several days to get the nero software to operate with our dell laptop. We updated, filled out forms, read the reviews to get hints - nothing worked. It would play the sound ok, but the picture was a bunch of colored lines - ie, no picture. It was a hassle and I finally returned it. The problem was the included nero software, not the hardware - go figure.

Recorder setup instruction is not clear. To install Nero suite software the DVD recorder must be connected and powered on. Nero application won't recognize the recorder if it is not connected during the software installation.
Except for this minor problem the performance of the recorder is excellent.
I had to get a program to convert format of existing audio file in the hard disc because Nero suite does not have this function. It has this function only recording the files from CD to hard disc.

For reasons unknown, my aging PC ceased to get along with its internal DVD-ROM drive. I tried replacing the drive, but that didn't work, so I gave up on watching DVD's - until I spied this guy. I plugged it in, XP recognized the drive, and in thirty seconds I was watching a DVD for the first time in months (haven't installed the software, don't plan to). All l want is a DVD player, and it plays great; if I ever want to burn a DVD, I'm all set.

Playback is excellent with either connection - Firewire or USB. I use Firewire to keep my USB ports free; even with high-end audio, DVD playback is as good, or better, than the internal drive was when it was new.


Works just fine - but - comes up to speed when reading like a prop plane revving up. Not a problem, just kind of surprising at first.
Also - if you are adding this to a box that already has a dvd drive, you may have to turn this off to boot up normally. Easy swiching though.
Keeper!

Bought one for each of my main computers. An HP drive, when added-on with an existing dvd drive, almost destroyed my system and the outsourced support was abominable.

O.k I've had the External LG GSA-2166D drive for a while now. I use it to burn Audio and data CD's. Lately, I wanted to burn some home movies to DVD's. I've been using blank DVD-R's(Verbatim, HP, and Staples) to record home movies on my standalone Sony RDR-VX530 recorder(which is great for recording only on DVD-R or +R's(4.7GB); It seems to have issues reading/writing Dual Layer and Double Layer discs....Hmmm.) I just wanted a higher quality video output for my long-play home movies.

I went on my computer and downloaded a free DVD burning software for my LG burner since the Nero software it came with(Nero 7) does not support Windows Me. After installing this free software, I inserted a blank DVD-R into the LG drive but the software would not read the disc. It kept prompting me to insert a blank DVD disc. So I guessed the software was garbage. However, in Windows' "My Computer" folder, the LG drive read the media as 'Audio CD' with 1.99GB of USED space and 0 bytes free space. DVD-Rs are supposed to read as 4.7GB(or the equivalent in MB) capacity and no USED space. I thought the LG drive was the problem. So I went shopping for a new external drive that supported Windows Me and came across the Memeorex 32023288, which I purchased. I was very pleased with the design of the Memorex drive; It was strong and sturdy like my LG drive(probably stronger) - not cheap at all. It also comes with Nero 6 bundled software(Nero Recode 2, NeroVision Express 3, Nero Media Player, etc.). After installing it, I inserted a blank DVD-R disc and checked the "My Computer" folder and the disc was read the same way - Audio CD, 1.99GB of USED space. I thought the reading would be corrected once I installed Nero but it did not. So now I thought that Windows Me was the culprit. I uninstalled Nero.

I contacted HP(they provide Compaq computer assistance) and one out of 4 tech assistants said that Windows Me was NOT the problem; that it had a UDF reader already installed which reads DVD blank media, and that I needed to install the software that came with the external drive(Memorex) and attempt to burn a DVD. I also read somewhere that Nero does not work well with Easy CD Creator/Roxio so I uninstalled my Easy CD Creator before reinstalling the Nero 6. With Nero installed, I tried to copy a DVD-R that I created on my Sony recorder(for my personal use). This DVD-R had 18 video files which Nero read as having over 200MB each. I placed this disc in the Memorex drive and a blank DVD-R in the LG drive. I proceeded to copy the video files using Nero Recode 2. It got halfway through the 6th file and ejected the blank DVD-R followed by a "Burn Failed" error message. I took the incompleted, unfinalized disc and played it in the Sony recorder and it did play all of the 5 videos and ended in the middle of the 6th video(the point where it was ejected from the LG drive). So it worked but something went wrong along the way. The HP tech was on to something....

I then decided to put this project on hold and just try to burn an AVI file that I had transfered to my computer from my Archos DVR. I used NeroVision Express 3 with the Memorex drive. NeroVision read the DVD-R as having 4,490MB of capacity, which made sense, finally. I proceeded to burn and it was a success! So, this time, I tried to burn an AVI file with the LG burner - it worked again. And again with the Memorex! These AVI files are read in NeroVision as being over 4GB in size so I had to lower the video bitrate(this diminishes the quality of video). I will now be investing in DVD+R DL(8.5GB) discs. This way I won't have to reduce the output video quality of the file just to fit onto a 4.7GB blank DVD-/+R.

For Windows Me owners: Don't worry about the computer reading your blank dvd media as 'Audio' with only 1.99GB of USED space. Your file system may only allot you 1.99GB of space for storing certain files and may not allow burning more than this amount of data onto a 4.7GB disc*.(*This may happen when using Nero Recode 2 to copy a home movie DVD. This software burns a temporary image file of the home movie onto your hard drive. If the image file is over 1.99GB, the burn will not succeed. Solution: Use Nero "Quick Copy" which avoids burning that temp image file onto your system and copies the content directly from one drive to the other.) All in all, once you get a high quality DVD burning software, the blank DVD media will be read and utilized properly. I am so glad that I was able to resolve this issue and I am grateful that Nero 6 supports Windows Me.

*****Please be aware that Nero 6 uses a 30-day trial DVD-Video plug-in for its some of its encodind/writing softwares(Nero "Quick Copy" does not require this plug-in). On Nero's website the plug-in costs $25(which I don't mind purchasing once my time is up). Nero prompts for serial number registration to install their software. Also, Nero uses a good bit of computer memory so make sure you have enough RAM and/or try to keep the multi-tasking to a minimum.

Tech support for Memorex is very good. They were very polite, patient, understanding and willing to solve my problem(but bless their hearts, they could not).

Nero 6 is pretty impressive! There's even a photo software for storing and editing your digital pics(which I definitely needed). I have had no other problems with Nero 6 or this Memorex 32023288 drive ever since. It's a pretty fast burner as well, very efficient. This product was the only one I found to have a great average rating AND compatibility with Windows Me. It's a fine product, indeed!

This review was written for all of those with Windows Me struggling to resolve this very issue of reading/buring DVD blank media. Hope it helps somehow.

I was very pleased with this product,it lived up to almost all my expectations.Super easy to operate.

As far as I can tell at this point--I will use the recorder a lot in a few weeks--the Memorex DVD Double-Layer Recorder 16x16 Dual Format External Drive is working flowlessly. Thanks Memorex! Helmut S.


When it first arrived, I plugged it into my usb 2 port. Computer would not recognize it. After trying everything I and google newsgroups could think of, I took it to work -- none of my work computers would recognize it either. Sent it back, got another one. Plugged it in, the computer immediately recognized it. Cool ... i thought. I turned it off, and shut down the for the night. Next day, turned it on .... nothing!! Computer would not recognize it. Took it to work, and the computer reported "problem with usb device" Sent it back, got a refund, and I am going to get an internal (non-usb!!) drive.

I didn't do a whole lot of research on what was the cheapest or had the best reviews before buying this, but I can tell you it does the trick. Using this along with programs such as DVD Shrink and Nero allows me to copy basically any movie I'd like fairly quickly. Some DVD's have structures that can not be copied but most are easy enough.

We needed a new DVD burner because the internal one died. Ordered this external unit and it was up and running in minutes. We were asked to video and snap pictures for our grandaughters' play and produce DVDs and CDs for the partipants. This unit handled it like a pro. The video was 17 MB when downloaded to the pc. My husband added scanned pages of cast, credits and info about the play and about 20 photos to the file and after rendering (4.5 hours), we were able to burn the DVDs in 6 minutes each. I highly recommend this unit.

Drive works okay but makes a horrible noise in the vertical position. If this is important choose another drive. Packaged software is poor. Don't load Nero unless you have used and like it. InCd created some problems, and I rely on the Microsoft writing software which is cumbersome, but works.

The burner was easy to install, and is easy to use, and does the job the sales literature said it would. As usual though, the manual isn't worth much, but that's the case with most manuals.

Easy set-up, nice read speed. Haven't done much recording yet but no troubles so far. Very good price and fast delivery.

Looking at the picture of the product posted, I thought I was getting the 'complete' box, not so. No instructions, no software.

I got this from TheFactoryDepot and what a rip off. First they
over charged me, then they take 2 weeks to get it to me, then
everything I burn will not play in any of my DVD players. I
even got the Memorex DVDs from TheFactoryDepot and they arrived
with scratches. I don't know what's wrong. It seems like
everything I get from TheFactoryDepot is either defective or
a piece of junk.

I just bought this drive - it came bundled with Nero v6.6 which DOES NOT work with Windows Vista. I contacted Memorex support about this problem and they told me to get the latest update from Nero. Unfortunately, there are no updates to Nero 6 that make it compatible with Vista - you have to upgrade to Nero 7, which costs more than I paid for the drive. Memorex ignored my follow-up request for a free solution to the problem they caused. I will be returning this drive and getting a Sony that comes with Nero 7. Current products should come with software that works on current operating systems.

I purchased this product for my daughter as she needed a DVD recorder to burn her different video projects. She absolutely loves it. Easy to use, wonderful in that the drive takes different DVD formats. Portable from one computer to the next. A must have. Highly recommend.

I got this dvd burner 2 days ago. I have already burned 10 dvds with this. It is a good-looking burner. It can lay flat, or it has a stand for vertical placement. It was easy to connect to the computer and install the provided software.

It comes with Nero. This seems to be a really good program. Unfortunately, some of the features, like creating dvd movies, are only 30 day trials, and not included with the program. To get the dvd movie feature, it costs $25. I was unhappy when I realized that I didn't get the entire Nero program, especially since I wanted this dvd burner so I could create movies that would play on my dvd player hooked to my tv. But, the program is very easy to use and has thus far been reliable.

It takes about an hour to transcode the data into the correct format, then the actual time it takes to burn the disc is very quick.

I haven't used the double layer feature yet, but I am quite pleased with the speed and accuracy of this burner. The software it comes with is also excellent (Nero). I burn a lot of photographs to DVD, so it gets a good workout. I recommend it for everyone!

Couldn't be happier...

Currently hooked to USB2.0 port.. burns full DVD-r 8x in appx 8 minutes..
Can't wait to try in on a Firewire port with a 16x DVD :)

What can I say but, this burner performs great. I hooked it up in a matter of minutes to my Firewire port and copied my first DVD on the fly in 12 min. 48 seconds. The copy played flawlessly. The price, performance and ease of use make this a 5 star burner.
I think other bad reviews didn't need a dvd burner so much as a PC upgrade. You've gotta have a system that is up to the task. I run an Amd Athalon64 X2 4200+, 2.5Gb memory, ATI X800XL 256mb video, Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro, and 250Gb hard drive internal and 280Gb Western Digital external hard drive. My machine has 2 Firewire ports, 6 usb 2.0 ports and memory card reader.
My internal DVD burner with light scribe decided to not burn DVD's any longer but, could still play them and burn CD's so I decided to keep it and get a second external burner. I am so glad I made this choice!

Its not that bad of a burner but you need to use the firewire cable and not the usb 2 cable because i can only get 12x of the 16x with the usb 2. Also don't use the vertical stand, i had problems with it wanting to burn vertically but it would read just fine vertically, so i use it horizontally now. Those are the 2 reason why I gave this 4 stars and not 5 stars. But i plan on buying another one of these in the next couple days.

The hardware _seems_ okay: plays DVDs extremely well with my old version of PowerDVD, and burns CDs with pretty good speed (I've got a firewire connection.) But so far, I've been unable to burn a DVD in any of the packaged Nero applications, not as backup, not as a data disc. (Even the DVD player doesn't work, just keeps popping up a reminder to buy the plug-in.) When burn is attempted with a DVD, disc gives target error, program can't make End of File, or disc isn't recognized at all. I will reluctantly invest in different media (maybe it didn't like these DVD+R discs, though it's supposed to handle DVD+R) and if that's no help, uninstall the Nero and try other burners. If hardware pans out and Nero is the only problem, will come back and raise to three stars (or better, if really fast).

Used it to burn few DVDS and its working fine. Less noisey then expected...

good one.


I just got this burner today, and I just wanted to write a review about how pleasantly surprised I was with it. Reading some of the reviews I was beginning to regreat buying it, but I figured I would give it a shot. I bought this burner because I wanted a DVD burner along with a CD burner and my internal burner which only burns CDs is no longer working. The burn speed is a little bit slower than my internal burner (this one took about 8 minutes to burn a CD, whereas my internal burner would only take about 3-4 minutes) but the time it takes to burn is reasonable. I haven't tried to burn a DVD yet, so we'll see what happens. I only gave it 4 stars because I'm not sure of how it burns DVDs yet.

This product doesn't seem to work any better or worse than its competitors, but keep in mind that you'll only really get the maximum burn speeds if you're using an internal or Firewire drive. The USB connection limits the write speed, sometimes severely. If you're plugged directly into the motherboard, you might get 8x out of it, but if you're in a hub or something, you'll probably go down to 4x. If you're really in need of superfast burning, then I recommend that you clear a drive bay in your desktop and get an internal drive with a large buffer. I can get 16x in my desktop (IDE) but only 4x max on this USB unit.


Otherwise, the unit works just fine.

This is reasonably good CD/DVD drive so far, hookup is simple, my system recognized it right away, the device is compact and very quiet, not bad looking either. CD recording is slow, however, the recordings are good quality and worth the wait. DVD recording is impossible, unless you have some sort of decryption and then it's questionable, thanks to the Nero software which I just refuse to have anythig to do with anymore. I so far like the drive, my major complaint is the Nero software that came with it, I've had nothing but aggravation with it! Nero has an expiration based upon when you install it and then the DVD function becomes extinct unless, you subscribe. Nero can also interfere with other applications such as shrink and hard drive storage,whereas it refuses to store and refuses to play. If you have other programs like Media Player & I Tunes, Shrink or Power DVD you'll find you're using them to run this drive, Shame on Nero for looking sharp & being nothing. Don't let this deter you. This is a pretty nice drive for the price and if you have other applications it should work just fine. I admit I'm still a novice though I expected more from the total package.
I ordered this from Amazon & Tiger Direct, delivery was very prompt and well packaged.

Honestly, i would like some more time to evaluate the product. I had some difficulties with the software and have now accessed the correct software for the Recorder. I will be soon making use of both and should be able to do a bettter evaluation at the end of this month.

This Memorex Double Layer DVD Burner is an amzing buy and makes burning all types of things extremely easy. As many people have pointed out, this drive is very slow if you use USB 1.1. If you have USB 1.1 the drive will still work, but very slowly. USB 2.0 is not much better if you ask me. My IE Firewire ports were taken up by scanners and printers so I ended up buying a Firewire Card (this is quite simple to install, you have to be retarded not to be able to figure this out). Firewire is the way Memorex intended this burner to be operated on. Before, USB took anywhere from 8-12 minutes to burn a CD and upwards of 40 minutes to burn slightly less than 10 minutes of DVD Video. After using the Firewire Card a CD takes less than 2(!) and never has buffer underrun errors (no more wasted discs). Where this drive really shines is with DVD. I took an illegaly copied copy of "Doom" (the movie, 112 minutes), recoded the video files into MPEG-4 (using the supplied Nero 6 software) and then burned the entire movie in 6.5 minutes!!!!! That's 4.4 GB of video (ultra high quality) in less than ten minutes!!! Amazing. The NeroRecode is great for making the MPEG-4 video files which can then be watched on the Video iPODS. Brilliant. Now for Nero. Yes, Nero 7 Ultra Edition is out, but the supplied Nero 6 burning suite is included with this burner, and does a very good job. It is very easy to use, and is customizable and does every type of project imaginable (Data, Audio, Data+Audio, Video, Video CD, Picture, plus ones I don't remember and will never use!) and recognizes every disc type. The included editing software is very in depth and you can do a whole crapload of video, text and audio effects with video files from your miniDV or DVD Camcorder. Also included is Nero Photoshow Elite, which really isn't "Elite," but it does a decent job of storing, organizing and editing photos. You can even remove red-eye and other such things. If you havbe the correct specifications and use Firewire, you will realize that Memorex has gone way over-the-top with this wonderful external DVD burner. Definitely worth the money and will prevent your computer from becoming obsolete.
The Bottom Line: Don't Use USB and don't use the world's first computer or yes, this probably won't work out for you.

On its own, this is a reasonably-priced external DVD burner with a quality name brand. I didn't find the case flimsy, and the stand makes the drive very unobtrusive. The buttons are logically placed, and the blue light was bright enough to see across the room. The drive was visible to my laptop as soon as I attached it. The DVD I made last night burned fairly quickly (and quietly), and bingo, I soon had my very first home-movie-on-DVD, complete with chapter titles and cueing and so forth. I didn't try transferring with USB--a Firewire card was only $25, a cheap way to ensure better image quality--but Memorex thoughtfully includes cables for both.

The included software, Nero 6, makes this drive an even better deal. This burn/edit package has a lot of features for an OEM version, more than I'll need for a long time, and should you want to step up to Nero 7, nero.com offers a good discount. The only negative with the software was having to go into the Windows registry to get the serial number to qualify for the version updates--the manual walks you through this, and since I once had a job that required registry edits, this wasn't difficult, but I question how wise it is for Nero to make an average user dig into the Windows registry!

You can get much better deals on internal burners, but if you need an external burner, particularly if you don't already have a software package for editing and burning DVDs, it would be hard to find a better deal than this drive.

Aside: after staring at my Seagate hard drive and the Memorex burner side by side all last night, I was thinking I'd like to see some enterprising company bundle a large hard drive right on a DVD burner. But with that spare USB cable, it's easy enough to get the two together for a movie-making session..!

This dvd drive is not compatible with USB1.1. I bought this in Officedepot for a good deal. The drive looked really nice with black/silver colorings. The stand is sturdy and can keep your drive vertically without any risk of falling.

But after I bought this, I plugged it into my computer. I was really shocked with the performance as it read some dvd movies horribly which were properly read by my other dvd-rom drive (internal). I tested it by writing 1 GB of data into a DVD-R disc. It claims a complete DVD-R write(4.5 GB) would take only 6 minutes. But I had to wait for around 1/2 hr for the 1 GB to get written into the disc. It was damn slow. It's 1x not 16x. Then I started reading the manual and found it will work at 1x or sometimes won't work with USB1.1. Luckily, I returned it and got my money back.

I dont know whether it is good for USB2.0, but I am sure it is not for people having only USB1.1; I am going now for an internal dvd-rw drive.



I have only had this drive for a couple days, but I can say that I am pleased with it overall. I am using it with a laptop on a comapct desk, so the fact that it stands vertically (w/included stand) helps with space consevation. The Dual-Layer DVDs that it can create are wonderfull for storing lots of home videos, pictures, and in most cases 2 full movies. The included Nero software is very user friendly, so you'll be making relatively professional looking DVD home movies (complete with custom menus and options) in no time.

I only have 2 things to complain about on this package (one on the unit and one on the software), and they are just nit-picky little things.

1. UNIT - While the unit itself is fairly attractive (silver & black case w/blue LEDs), it is rather flimsy. This is not really an issue as long as you are careful moving it while it is running. Without thinking, I grabbed the body by the sides while in its vertical position. This caused the top of the case to bow in and hit the drive spindle, resulting in an awful grinding noise. While this incident had no affect on the unit or its current process this time, I could see how it may in future careless occurances. Not a big deal. Just don't be clumsy like me.

2. SOFTWARE - Again, not a big problem, just an annoyance. I am running this program on what the box calls the preferred sytem specs for best performance. While creating a 2 hour (4.07 GB) DVD movie with basic menus only takes a few minutes, the processing time before it writes takes a long time. After you hit the "Burn" button, the total process progress line says that the time remaining on the project is a little over 4 hours. The actual time it takes to write on the disc is a little more than an hour (this is a pretty fast drive). The other 3 hours seems to be taken up by conversion, encoding, processing, etc. My guess is that this would take a lot less time on a faster system. Read the "System Requirements" for the software on the box. I suggest having at least the "Reccomended" specs to have a pleasent experience. If you only have the minimum system requirements, I would be prepared to settle in for the long haul for each project.

Also, I bought this in store at Staples for a hundred and thirty-nine bucks. Much cheaper than anywhere else I saw it.